ENGLISH
REFERENCE

something else

fixed phr..
A1 Beginner Oxford

fixed phr.. A phrase used to say a person or thing is very special or surprising. It can mean something is great, or sometimes, that it's surprisingly bad.

fixed phr.. A fixed expression used as a predicative complement to describe a person or thing as exceptionally remarkable, either positively or negatively.


SIMPLE

Her new painting is something else.

CONTEXTUAL

I've seen many talented singers, but her voice is really something else.

COMPLEX

The architect's vision for the new museum, with its soaring glass and impossible angles, was truly something else, defying conventional notions of structural engineering.

Usage

Used to express strong admiration, surprise, or sometimes disapproval.

Teaching tip

Highlight the prosodic stress: the emphasis falls heavily on 'else' to signal the figurative, rather than literal, meaning.

Pitfall

He is a something else.He is something else.This phrase acts as a complete description and doesn't use an article like 'a' or 'the'.

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